Flooding in central Europe: what are my rights as a traveller?

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Widespread floods in central Europe are causing travel chaos and costing lives. A low-pressure system has brought record levels of rainfall to Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania, with Slovakia and Hungary likely to be affected in coming days.

September is normally a popular time to travel to the cities and countryside of the region, and many holidaymakers are concerned about whether their trips will go ahead as planned.

These are the key questions and answers.

How bad are the floods?

They are deadly. At least 16 people have been killed, and in the affected areas normal life has come to a standstill. The military has been drafted in to organise evacuations.

The Foreign Office has the following warnings in place:

Austria (east): Road closures and disruptions to public transport may occur in affected areas. Check road traffic information and public transport updates from Austrian Railways and Vienna public transport before you travel.Czech Republic: Heavy rain and flooding is causing severe disruption, especially in southern and eastern parts of the country.Poland: Heavy rain and flooding is causing severe disruption in the Lower Silesia (Dolnośląskie), Silesian (Śląskie) and Opolskie Voivodeships [counties] in southwest Poland. Check local conditions before you travel and follow the instructions of the Polish authorities if you are in these areas.Romania: Heavy rain and flooding is causing disruption in eastern Romania. Check local conditions before you travel and follow the instructions of the Romanian authorities if you are in these areas.

What are my rights if I am there?

If danger is present you should do all you can to move to a safe area, taking advice from the authorities at all times. If you incur costs as a result, your travel insurer should reimburse you – so long as you did not venture into an area where the risks and devastation were known.

Anyone on a package holiday – flights and accommodation booked at the same time – should seek advice and assistance from the company that put together the trip.

Will my airline allow me to travel back early?

The Independent has asked the main airlines flying to and from the region – British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air – whether they will allow passengers to fly home earlier without penalty.

Ryanair said: “Passengers have the option of making changes to their bookings online up to 2.5 hours prior to the scheduled departure time of the original or new flight.

“If a passenger is away or needs to return urgently, they can do so by contacting our customer service team who will try help any passengers looking to return as soon as possible.”

EasyJet said normal policies will be imposed – with a change fee and any difference in fare imposed. Such costs may be recoverable from a travel insurer, depending on the circumstances.

I have a flight booked to the area and want to switch destination or postpone my trip. Can I?

The airlines have been asked that question and again, in the absence of responses you must assume that you would lose some or all of your cash. The exception is if you are booked on a package holiday and the trip cannot go ahead as planned because of flooding. In that case, the organiser of the trip should provide a full refund.

I have a rental property booked – will I be able to claim a refund?

That depends on the terms that you agreed with the property owner, and whether they will allow any latitude because of the floods.